Johannes Kalitzke is a much sought-after conductor, particularly of contemporary repertoire, thus conducting and composing become "mutually dependent", a process felt by the composer to be an "extremely constructive force" * Seeks to combine instruments and electronics and achieves a high level of amalgamation of real and electronic sounds * Approximates historical and contemporary worlds of sounds, as in Schuberts Traum (Schubert's Dream, 1999), where the personal level – a diary entry of Schubert which is quoted in the work – is confronted with a sociological issue – the role of the artist in his environment * Kalitzke's modern language of sound is intense and at the same time surprisingly accessible as the artist integrates lively experience into his music * An initial idea, ie from literature as in Nachrichten von Charon (News from the Charon) from the Kafka Cycle (2000) unfold in a dense, highly expressive way
Works by Johannes Kalitzke include:
Schuberts Traum (Schubert's Dream, 1999) for 8 voices and 8 instruments
Wind Stille Zeit (Wind Silence Time, 2001) for chorus, ensemble and electronics
Six Covered Settings (1999/2000) for string quartet
Vier Toteninseln (2002/03) (Eine Überfahrt mit J. Brahms) for baritone and orchestra
"Kalitzke’s scores are transparent in sound, well-articulated, its instrumentation showing a sense of new colours. What at first sight looks rather sophisticated, turns out to be unusually concentrated and expressive with respect to the initial idea." – Hartmut Lück, Klassik heute
